The focus of my dissertation work is to study the gold-catalyzed intramolecular and intermolecular cyclizations involving oxonium intermediates towards the application of synthetically interesting frameworks under ambient conditions and developing...

The trucking industry is the largest freight sector, making up about 70 percent of all domestic shipment in the United States and contributes greatly the American economy. About 10 billion tons of goods are shipped annually and of that, about...

The biologically active derivatives of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) possess the only examples containing organometallic Co-C bonds in living systems where the cleavage of Co-C bond initiates the catalytic cycle of the enzymatic reactions. In this...

This thesis is a historical examination of the Marian and Elizabethan persecutions. Through the analysis of primary sources dating from the persecutions, the process of persecution in Reformation England is examined. This thesis uncovers the...

The works of Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) comprise a small but significant body of sacred music and compositions for organ, yet they have received little serious analytical attention. The present study examines an early organ work, the Prélude,...

Long-term exposure to harmful carcinogens like benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) are linked to lung cancer. Benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE), the ultimate carcinogen produced by BaP bioactivation, is believed to play an important role in lung carcinogenesis....

Green tea polyphenols (GTPs) are gaining increasing attention because of their potential anti-tumor effects. However, poor oral bioavailability limits their efficacy in vivo. In this dissertation, two hypotheses were tested: 1) GTPs administered...

While investigating estrogen response element (ERE) binding properties of Erα in de-identified human breast cancer extracts, additional proteins were observed that recognized ERE sequences (ERE-BP). In order to unravel the apparent role of these...

The dissertation is based on four distinct research projects that are loosely interconnected by the common link of a regression framework. Chapter 1 provides an introductory outline of the problems addressed in the projects along with a detailed...

This dissertation focuses on the mechanisms and implications of perceptual learning of binocular interactions. Perceptual learning is an important means of adapting to the changing environment, demonstrating the possibility of neural plasticity in...

N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) is a phase II metabolic enzyme responsible for the biotransformation of aromatic and heterocyclic amine carcinogens such as 4-aminobiphenyl (ASP). NAT1 catalyzes N-acetylation of arylamines as well as the 0-acetylation...

Background: CHF is a chronic disease that affects nearly five million people each year; in which at least 500,000 are newly diagnosed cases. Patients diagnosed with this disease will be under a physician's care for the remainder of their life. It...

This dissertation demonstrates an elegant method, known as 'micro-origami' or strain architecture to design and fabricate three-dimensional MEMS structures which are assembled using actuation of a metal-oxide bilayer with conventional planar...

Authorship identification is a technique used to identify the author of an unclaimed document, by attempting to find traits that will match those of the original author. Authorship identification has a great potential for applications in forensics....

This study examines the social costs and benefits of the gentrification process using qualitative methods. The neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine (OTR) in Cincinnati, Ohio, represents certain universalities of gentrification in an older city, and was...

Pancreatic beta cells are extremely vulnerable to the destruction of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). In both type 1 and type 2 diabetes ROS are involved in the loss of U+000DF-cells. We hypothesized that the deficiency in ROS detoxifying system of...

Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Western societies. Thus, understanding the molecular mechanisms to reduce myocardial ischemia and limit infarction size are of great importance. Ample evidence has shown that...